1993 Commodity Flow Survey Commodity Movements Summary Alaska

1993 Commodity Flow Survey Commodity Movements Summary Alaska

In Alaska, the CFS measured $8 billion
of goods weighing 24 million tons. Alaska accounted for approximately
0.1 percent of the value and 0.2 percent of the weight of total
U.S. shipments. See attached table. The CFS data cover shipments
by establishments in mining, manufacturing, wholesale, and selected
retail and service industries. The data exclude most shipments
of crude oil; therefore, the totals and percentages do not fully
reflect the contribution of pipeline shipments.

The major commodities shipped by establishments
in Alaska vary when measured by value and by weight of the shipments.
Some of the most important commodities by value were: petroleum
or coal products; food or kindred products; fresh fish or other
marine products; chemicals or allied products; and lumber or wood
products excluding furniture. Some of the most important commodities
shipped by weight were: petroleum or coal products; lumber or
wood products, excluding furniture; chemicals or allied products;
and fish or other marine products.

Local transportation of freight is important
to Alaska's commerce. The distribution of commodities by domestic
destination and distance of shipments reflects the importance
of local transport. The CFS shows that in 1993, about 81 percent
of the value and 82 percent of the weight of total shipments from
Alaska were shipped to destinations within the state.About
47 percent of the value and about 54 percent of the weight of
all shipments were between places less than 50 miles apart. In
comparison, about 30 percent of the value and 56 percent of the
weight of total U.S. shipments were between places less than 50
miles apart. In Alaska, about 52 percent of the value of shipments
were between places less than 100 miles apart.

Almost one-fifth (19 percent) of the value
and weight of all shipments from Alaska went to other states.
Some of the most important destination states by value of shipments
were: Washington, Oregon, California, Texas, and New York. Important
destinations by weight of shipments were Oregon and Washington.

Less than half of the commodities (45
percent of the value and 26 percent of the weight) were moved
by trucks. Rail accounted for about 5 percent of the value and
9 percent of the weight of shipments. Water transportation accounted
for 3 percent of the value and 14 percent of the weight. Other
intermodal transportation (truck and pipeline, inland and Great
Lakes, inland and deep sea) accounted for 13 percent of the weight
and 14 percent of the value. The CFS data confirm the rising
importance of parcel, U.S. postal, and courier services that have
emerged in recent years. In 1993, this mode of transport was
used to ship 21,000 tons of goods worth over $181 million or 2
percent of the value of all shipments in Alaska. In comparison,
about 9 percent of the value of total U.S. shipments were moved
by this mode.

The Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) is a comprehensive effort to
learn where and how goods are shipped in the U.S. The CFS measures
shipments of commodities by establishments with paid employees
and engaged in manufacturing, mining, wholesale trade, or selected
retail and services industries. Prior commodity surveys covered
shipments only by manufacturing firms. Commodity flows are estimated
for a universe of approximately 900,000 establishments.

Data collected on individual shipments include total value, total
weight, commodity type, modes of transport, domestic origin and
destination; data for export shipments include the city and country
of destination, mode and port of exit. Information is also be
obtained on whether shipments are containerized or a hazardous
material. Some firms provided data concerning on-site shipping
facilities and access to shipping facilities, plus data on ownership
and leasing of transportation equipment.

The CFS is conducted by the Bureau of the Census as part of the
Economic Census. Funding and technical guidance is provided by
the U.S. Department of Transportation. Initiated for 1993, the
CFS is scheduled for 1997 and every 5 years thereafter for years
ending in 2 and 7. Commodity surveys were conducted between 1963
and 1982, but data for 1982 were not published. No data were collected
for 1987. Participants will report for a sample of shipments during
a 2-week period each quarter during the reporting year.

The CFS is a mail-out/mail-back survey of 200,000 sampled employer
establishments in selected industries. Establishments were selected
by stratified sample, with strata based on geographic location
and industry. Geographic strata are the 89 National Transportation
Analysis Regions(NTARs), which provide nationwide coverage and
are aggregations of Bureau of Economic Analysis economic areas.
Within the strata, all establishments with annualized employment
above a specified cutoff were selected with certainty, and the
remaining smaller establishments were sampled with probability
proportional to annualized payroll.

For 1993, each sampled establishment reported on a sample of
individual shipments during a 2 week period in each calendar quarter.
In addition, about 20,000 establishments will provide information
on transportation facilities and arrangements in their final reporting
period.

For further information about survey design and printed products,
contact the Commodity Flow Survey Branch, Services Division, Bureau
of the Census, Washington, DC 20233, or by calling 301/457-2805
or 2114. For information on related data programs and studies,
contact the Bureau of Transportation Statistics at 202/366-DATA
for voice, 202/366-3640 for fax, or CFS@BTS.GOV for e-mail.